Online vs. offline encoding, 8 online vs. offline encoding – Sonnox Fraunhofer Pro-Codec User Manual
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8 ONLINE VS.OFFLINE ENCODING
8 Onlinevs. OfflineEncoding
We can now discuss the advantages and disadvantages of online encoding with the
Plug-In (see section
) and offline encoding with the Manager application (see section
).
Offline Encoding is now done with the included desktop application – the Pro-Codec
Manager.
Advantages of Offline Encoding:
• Bit stream overloads are consistent,
• The original file length features of the files can be employed (meaning consistent
start and end points).
• Batch processing – simultaneously encoding a single file to multiple formats,
multiple files to a single format, or multiple files to multiple formats is now possible!
Disadvantages of Offline encoding:
• An extra step in the workflow is required (compared to online encode, where the
encoded files are created during the bounce),
• There is no automatic downsampling for offline encode, so the higher sample rate
master has to be bounced and downsampled first before working on codec-specific
enhancements. With online encoding, the mix is automatically downsampled, and a
codec file can be generated directly from this downsampled signal.
Note:
Online encoding does not necessarily add DSP processing as the encoders are
already in action. However, additional data buffering and disc writing will add
significant overhead, and might cause CPU overloads.